The world-renowned film festival was set to run from May 12-23, 2020, but on March 19 issued a press release saying that it would not be happening as planned. The festival is hoping to reschedule for a late June or early July start date, but did not confirm any new plans at this time. “As soon as the development of the French and international health situation will allow us to assess the real possibility, we will make our decision known,” the festival’s press release states. “In the meantime, the Festival de Cannes lends its vocal support to all of those who firmly call on everyone to respect the general lockdown, and ask to show solidarity in these difficult times for the entire world.”
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President’s Statement
Spike Lee, who was selected as this year’s Jury President for the festival, agreed with the decision to postpone. “The world has changed and it’s changing every day,” Lee said in an interview with Variety. “The stuff that we love has to take a back seat: movies, TV, sports….So many things have been postponed, and I agree with this move.” Despite the festival’s postponement, Lee is still committed to his role as Jury President – a historic one, at that – and the representational weight it carries is definitely not lost on him.
Pandemic Update
The novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, is rapidly spreading across the globe. As of March 21, the World Health Organization reports over 292,000 confirmed cases worldwide. France, the Cannes Film Festival’s home, has confirmed over 14,000 cases and 550 deaths. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports over 33,000 known cases and 400 deaths in the United States as of March 23. In addition to Cannes, many other major arts festivals have been cancelled or postponed in the wake of the pandemic. These include, but are not limited to: South by Southwest; Tribeca Film Festival; the Seattle International Film Festival; Coachella and Stagecoach; Bonnaroo; Eurovision; and VidCon. (Follow IndieWire’s listing for more frequent updates.) Leave your thoughts on the 2020 Cannes Film Festival’s postponement in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic (via Variety) and this article below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. For more Film Festival news coverage, photos, videos, and information, visit our Film Festival Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Flipboard.
